Diamond Dust trying to rebound in Cleveland Gold Cup

But for a bizarre incident in his most recent outing, Diamond Dust would be unbeaten on the season. The gelding looks to regain his momentum in Saturday’s $75,000 Daniel Stearns Cleveland Gold Cup for Ohio-bred 3-year-olds at Thistledown.

Diamond Dust, a homebred for trainer Tim Hamm and WinStar Farm, appeared to be on his way to victory in his turf debut in the Green Carpet Stakes on May 26 when he ducked in and lost his rider in the stretch. He emerged unscathed from the incident and has worked three times at Thistledown in June, including a bullet five furlongs last Saturday.

Diamond Dust is a four-time stakes winner, including a front-running score in the Juvenile Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the Best of Ohio showcase program. He will go 1 1/8 miles for the first time in the Cleveland Gold Cup. The gelding is a son of Belmont Stakes runner-up Paynter, who in turn is by multiple classic sire Awesome Again.

Scott Spieth has the mount for the first time on Diamond Dust, who drew post 3 as the morning-line favorite in the field of six 3-year-olds for the Cleveland Gold Cup. The field includes the top three finishers from the Green Carpet in Manga Man, Send Me On, and Danefield. Manga Man is an allowance winner on dirt beyond a mile. Send Me On, who was third to Diamond Dust in the Juvenile, is a multiple allowance winner at a mile on dirt. Danefield’s only victory came in a maiden sprint on dirt.

Pat’s Karma won the Joshua Radosevich Memorial Stakes as a 2-year-old and comes into the Cleveland Gold Cup off an allowance score, but has yet to win around two turns.